I have a 2008 335i with 45k, and I just got the yellow "car on a lift" icon with the message "Brake pad wear indicator". I checked my info sources and it says "Error in the Brake Pad wear sensors". Everything else checks out ok, and my brakes don't feel mushy or like they need to be replaced. Could this just be a sensor error, maybe? If so, is there a way to reset the indicator light?

If not, my maintenance warranty ended last June, so now that I have to pay out of pocket for all maintenance, I was wondering if anyone could recommend the least expensive way to go with getting my Front Brakes serviced.

The sensor fits into the caliper and when it starts grinding against the rotor the light goes off meaning the pad's are nearing end of life. Plan on replacing fairly soon and you'll need to buy a new sensor when you do the brakes as well as they are one time use. If you want to be really really cheap you could possibly solder and then epoxy over to complete the circuit again but you are better off just getting a new one. They are cheap.

This may or may not cause a problem with accurately measuring and determining your brake pad wear, however. You are going to be close to pads anyway, I think front pads are around 50-60k miles, rears are about 8-10k after that. May want to just go ahead and do pads, rotors, sensor and make sure your CBS is reset as well and not worry about it again until your close to 100k miles.

From my understanding, the brake pad sensor has two wires for resistive feedback. When the brake pad wears down enough to the point the sensor grinds on the rotor, it wears out one of the wires, hence the yellow warning light. If you leave it, it will continue to grind as the brake pads wear down until the second wire is tripped and a red warning light will be displayed. Once you trip the brake sensor, you have to replace it otherwise, the computer will always see the sensor as being worn down, even if you replace the pads.